Bleed It Out
by SugarIsMyDrug
Summary: Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. - Martin Luther King Jr. Kanzaki is 100% human, but Ayato sees her in a slightly different light. She is bound by the promise that only he would be the one to kill her. Kanzaki, however, strives to achieve a different turn out of events.
1. Chapter 1

_Every parting gives a foretaste of death, every reunion a foretaste of resurrection. – _Arthur Schopenhaur

The snow fell silently on the shoulders of her jacket. The cold wind clawed at her cheeks, freezing the sweat that covered them. It was nearing Christmastime, so this kind of weather was expected. Currently, Kanzaki and her team were in a bit of a pinch with some local gangsters. They had been running and exchanging fire for the past thirty minutes. Exhaling slowly, she eased herself against the wall. She had told her team of detectives to retreat when they found a clearing, but unfortunately, she hadn't found one yet. Holding her gun closely, she inched herself near the corner of the building to get a look at what was taking place. Unprecedented screams then rung out suddenly, and her head snapped in its direction. Her fingers clutched around the gun more tightly as she tried to get a peak at what was going on. Blood curdling cries continued and she finally got a peak. There were a group of males surrounding something that looked like a pile of body parts. Kanzaki squinted and she stood in place. She wasn't about to go attack a bunch of ghouls. Yes, she knew what they were and as their heads snapped up in her direction, her realization became even clearer. Deciding that she couldn't avoid conflict, she stepped out into the street light so they could get a better look at her. Her gun was held at her side and she broke into a dark smirk.

"Good night everyone," she greeted loudly enough for them to hear. Their red eyes blazed. To them, it was as if food was offering itself up willingly and without conflict.

Without conversation on the other side, one of the ghouls rushed towards her. This somewhat amused her, though she didn't really show it. Sidestepping him, he bumped into the lamp post behind her. She then looked at the others, willing them to come at her. And they did. It was a rather unwise move for them, though. She single handedly attempted to handicap them. It wasn't too effective, for they were not like the regular humans she dealt with on a daily basis. They could withstand a simple fractured arm. She couldn't do much more than that because she was tired. Working all day, whether at school or work and assessing cases and studying at night was quite tiring. They stood up slowly but not without a bullet each in their heads.

"Kanzaki Murasaki," a familiar voice interrupted. Hands in his pocket and a casual expression on his face, Ayato Kirishima walked on the scene. The men slowly rose and watched as their leader walk towards them. Kanzaki's eyes widened for a fraction of a second, but quickly morphed into an indifferent expression. "It's not a surprise you took down those weaklings." He walked closer and kicked the remainder of the human body parts out of the way.

"Ayato K-Kirishima," she muttered as if trying to convince herself that he was actually there. Why are you here?"

"I should be asking _you_ that question," he gave a small smirk, "The last time I saw you, you were falling off a bridge into icy water."

"That has nothing to do with the current situation. If you have nothing to of importance to say to me, then goodbye," she stoically stated and turned her back on the blue haired male.

Ayato Kirishima watched her walk away without spearing another glance at him. He guessed that old habits die hard.

She had always been a serious person, never settling for less. He had looked up to her in many ways back then. All her qualities weren't redeeming, though. She had weird tendencies, but not so over powering as to shoo him off. She was stronger than most humans; and she was a girl at that. Not many human girls were appealing, but she appealed to him, even as a child. What stood out to him was that any time she left him, she never looked back, and she never said goodbye.

~;~

"I don't understand why these people can't give me a break! Ugh!" Kanzaki listened to her aunt, Reina complain. Apparently, she worked at the CCG as one of their scientists. She always seemed to love to complain about how unreasonable Chigyo was and how much she hated Arima. Kanzaki didn't know half of these people, and quite frankly, didn't care about them either. She didn't work for the CCG.

"So, how is the case going?" she then asked after she finished ranting.

"The usual," she shrugged, intentionally not mentioning her run in with the ghouls previously.

"You know, you should come to work for the CCG," Reina always brought that up.

"I told you time and time again," Kanzaki sighed, "I'm not going to join a bunch of ghoul fighting weirdos. I am best at what I do, which is finding out the truth and handling a gun."

"That is what you always say, but I believe you have the ability to become a very good detective… better than that dick head Arashima," she huffed.

"I believe his name is Arima Kishou, not Arashima," Kanzaki corrected.

"I don't give two eggs on bacon," she rolled eyes and began typing away at her computer.

Kanzaki headed to her room to unwind. She had been on duty for 14 hours. That was more than enough for a mere teenager like her. Then again, her superiors never looked down on her because of her age. Taking off her jacket, she hung it up on the back of her door. And, without another word or thought, she fell on her bed and her entire body went limp.

~;~

"Did you hear about the ghoul attack last night?" one of her classmates asked out loud. Kanzaki sat at her window seat, the best seat in the class, and stared out the window nonchalantly. She didn't get what was so interesting in talking about a bunch of ghouls. The teacher walked in and the chatter slowly died down under the teacher's stern gaze.

"Good morning, class," he greeted.

The class responded in a respectful, class-like manner.

"A student from class 2B is going to be present with us from now on," he looked at the door, waiting for the student to walk in. As if on cue, Touka Kirishima walked in. She had a neutral expression on her face as she took a seat in the middle of the class.

"My name is Touka Kirishima," she introduced herself before sitting down.

"Now then, class, let us begin," the teacher said.

When he began his lecture, Kanzaki's head was already down.

~;~

Kanzaki was awakened by a gentle poke. She silently raised her head.

"Everyone's out to lunch," the brown haired girl said. Kanzaki could tell she wasn't from class 2A. Her brown hair was in a sort of a bob cut and she had a pleasant look on her face. Kanzaki couldn't manage to muster up a scowl for her.

"Let's go, Yoriko," Touka called on her friend.

Kanzaki didn't even spare her a glance.

"Would you like to join us for lunch?" Yoriko asked Kanzaki.

"No thanks," Kanzaki declined.

"Oh, well that's okay. Maybe some other time then," Yoriko smiled. Touka looked at Kanzaki from the corner of her eye.

Kanzaki decided to go up to the roof to take a nap. She didn't feel like going back to class, for she was too tired.

"Hey," a familiar voice called out to her. She, however, didn't bother to turn around to glare at the intruder.

"You should get back to class," Touka advised.

"And you should mind your business," Kanzaki replied; no harshness in her tone. "Now what's the real reason you came up to bother me?" She had a knack for realizing true intentions. That particular trait unnerved Touka.

"You saw my brother yesterday, right?" she said.

"If I did, what difference would that make?" Kanzaki questioned.

"I just wanted to know if he was in this District," Touka replied.

"The way in which you asked me your question suggests that you knew he was in this district, but you just wanted to confirm if I had met him," Kanzaki got into the technicalities behind it.

"You're still the same old you, huh," Touka gave a sad smile.

"And you and your brother have changed," Kanzaki still didn't bother turning around. "At least I'm consistent."

"Last time I heard about you, you were dead. What happened?" Touka folded her arms and leaned against the wall.

"I don't know. I don't care. I'm alive and that's all that matters," Kanzaki answered.

"I thought your total interest lied in finding out the truth," Touka responded.

"Don't get me wrong. I know who almost killed me," Kanzaki replied, finally sitting up and drawing her knees near her stomach. "I just don't know how I survived that attack and I really don't care."

"Why would you not care?" Touka asked.

"I don't know and I don't care," she shook her head, "And yes, I did meet Ayato yesterday. It was quite unprecedented, though."

Touka didn't say anything.

"I suggest you run back to class. I won't be coming," Kanzaki then said. "I'm going home."

Touka watched as she got up and quite ungracefully jumped off the railing. Sometimes Kanzaki's humanity could be quite questionable.

~;~

_Ten Years ago_

"Now," Arata bent down to look each of his children in the eye, "We'll be having some guests and I need each of you on your best behavior, okay?"

They both nodded.

"Hey, want to go play outside, Ayato?" Touka asked.

Ayato nodded and both siblings ventured outside.

A knock came on the Kirishimas' door. Arata opened the door and let in his two visitors.

"Good morning, Arata," a blonde haired woman greeted. Her blue eyes were filled with mirth as she greeted her old friend.

"Good morning Yuka. It's been a while," Arata beamed. "And who is this lovely little one?" Arata asked kindly.

"This is my step daughter, Kanzaki," Yuka held her shoulders.

"It's nice to meet you, Kanzaki. I am Arata," he extended his hand to the six years old.

The black haired girl gripped his hand firmly and shook it. "It's nice to meet you too, Arata-san."

"She's beautiful," Arata complimented Yuka. "Come in." he led them to the living room and motioned for both to sit in the couch.

"Well, she gets her looks from her father, obviously," Yuka smiled as she sat.

Arata laughed. "My children are outside. Touka! Ayato!" he called out and one after the other, they filed into the house.

"This is Touka," he gestured as the little girl came to her father. "And this is Ayato."

"It's very nice to meet you two," Yuka said with a smile. "I am Yuka and this is Kanzaki."

"It's very nice to meet you," Kanzaki said.

"Hey, wanna go outside?" Touka asked Kanzaki. This question caught the young girl off-guard and Ayato could see that she wasn't used to playing.

"Sure," Kanzaki slowly nodded and then followed the two outside.

"So, what brings you to this district," Arata asked the young woman before him.

"Marriage of course," she smiled. "I know it isn't profitable for me to marry a human, but I love him. I can't do anything much, really."

"I understand," Arata nodded. "I too, don't hate humans."

"It's funny, you know. We have to eat the very things we don't hate. They look like us. They breathe like us. They have feelings like us," she shook her head.

Arata grimly nodded.

~;~

"You've never climbed a tree before?" she questioned, giving the girl an incredulous look.

"Touka, not everyone's climbed a tree before," Ayato stepped up for Kanzaki.

"I know, but that means you're missing half of your life," Touka threw her arms up.

Ayato stood beside Kanzaki while Touka demonstrated.

"Hey Kanzaki," Touka called out, "You mind if we nicknamed you Kana or Zaki?"

Kanzaki shook her head. Both she and Ayato watched as Touka climbed the tree without difficulty.

"You're a human, aren't you," Ayato spoke to her.

"Yes," Kanzaki answered. "My step mother is a ghoul, but my dad is human."

"How old are you?" he then asked.

"Six," she answered. "I'm assuming you're the same age as well."

Ayato nodded and somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew that this six year old wasn't normal. There was a long moment of silence and Touka came back.

"Next time you come here, you should wear pants," Touka commented on Kanzaki's attire. The girl was dressed in a white dress with frills. It was quite old fashioned.

"I don't own much of those," she honestly answered.

"Really? What kind of girl are you?" Touka questioned, but Kanzaki didn't take offence.

"Do you go to school?" Touka questioned as the group headed inside.

"Yes, I go to Tomoha Elementary School," she answered.

'You mean the one owned by those English people?" Ayato asked.

"Yes," she replied.

"So that means you can speak English, right?" Touka questioned.

"That is correct," Kanzaki nodded.

They all had dinner and Ayato chose to sit close to Kanzaki. The girl intrigued him and after the meal, instead of playing, she settled for reading one of the books in the house.

"Aren't you going to play?" he asked her. "We can go by our neighbor's."

"That's alright," she turned the page of the book, "If you want, you can join me."

With that, he sat beside her and they both read together.

"How's that word pronounced?" he pointed at one of the words.

"Elated," she pronounced for him, "The author decided to put this word in English. It may be for the purpose of emphasizing his point."

"For a six year old, you speak like you're way older," Ayato commented.

"Sometimes, I wish I didn't," she slightly bowed her head.

"Nothing's wrong with that," Ayato reassured.

Touka watched her baby brother and Kanzaki exchange words and a big smirk appeared on her face. This would provide good teasing material in the long run.

"Time to go, Kanzaki," Yuka called out to her step daughter.

"Here," she handed the book to Ayato. "And to make your vocabulary grow, my dad always told me to read more and the words you aren't familiar with, write them down."

"Hai," he nodded and then waved as she met her mother by the door. Ayato watched them take off and Kanzaki didn't look back.

"Ayato has a girl friend, I see," Touka teased and this caused the six year old to go red in the face.

'N-no I don't," he denied. It went on like this until Arata broke it up.

"Hey dad," Ayato called upon the attention of his father, "Why does Kanzaki speak like she's older?"

"Well son, it may be the reason that she's the daughter of an intelligence agent and is most likely going to follow in her father's footsteps. People like that aren't supposed to go out often either. They're reared from young. She probably just started to show her face."

"That's what makes her so intelligent?" he asked.

"No, I believe she genuinely studies hard and that is what I want from you and Touka," he ruffled his son's hair.

~;~

_Present Day_

Kanzaki got home early and headed straight for her computer. She had a few cases she was working on and it was extremely necessary to get them out of the way or they would pile up. Sitting at her work desk, she flipped through countless of photos of the deceased. They were most gruesome, but a trained mind could handle it. They were mutilated beyond recognition and that was when it clicked. This could never be the work of a human.

"Ghouls," Kanzaki whispered. These ghouls were making her job more difficult. Sighing, she knew what she needed to do. Since the sun was setting, it would be a very good idea to start roaming the streets. They would immediately be attracted to her flesh. Putting on her coat and boots, she prepared for the weather. It would probably get colder and snow again.

"You're home early," Kanzaki commented as she saw her aunt in the kitchen area.

"Yeah, I had a good day at work and was let off early," she smiled.

"I don't know if I should be worried or happy about that," Kanzaki squinted suspiciously.

"So where are you headed?" Reina asked.

"I have to confirm something. I'll be right back… hopefully."

"Wait, what do you mean by hop-

Kanzaki shut the door before the woman could finish her statement.

Cold air hit her cheeks. The nights were colder than the days. It was nearing the Christmas season and sometimes, it would even snow. In no time, Kanzaki was in the town's area and she deliberately walked into a dark alley. She watched a lot of horror movies and this was the type of behavior that led to many people dying. She walked with her gun, even though it was futile. Ghouls couldn't be killed by mere bullets.

"Hey, look who it is," she instantly recognized the voice to be one of the men from last night. "The girl that put a bullet in our heads." All of them started to laugh.

"I would like to ask you all a question," she ignored their laughing and got straight to the point, "Why are you here? I thought this Ward was supposed to be relatively peaceful."

"It's new hunting ground and almost no one is suspecting us," the man shrugged and then smirked. "Would you like to be our next victim?"

"Not in this lifetime," she smugly responded and then folded her arms over her chest. "Could you please go away? You're making my job harder than it ought to be."

"You're not a dove. So how could we possibly be making your line of work harder?" Ayato decided to show his face, yet again.

"You know who I work for. The CCG is obviously not doing a good job in getting rid of scum like you and therefore, the level of homicides have risen," she informed rather harshly.

"Oh? Scum, I see," Ayato smirked.

"Yes," Kanzaki said before he could continue, "Now take your underlings and go."

"Or what," in a few seconds he was pinning her to a wall.

No more words were exchanged. She attempted to kick him in the side, but he dodged.

"Why didn't you take that like a man?" she smirked as he stepped back.

"I'm smarter than that," he answered, knowing how hard she kicked for a human.

She ran to him and grabbed him by the shirt. "What's the real reason you're here?"

"You've gotten even weaker, Kanzaki," he spat her name, "Back then, you wouldn't have hesitated in putting a bullet through my head."

"No, I've gotten smarter. I know bullets wouldn't work on you," she gritted her teeth.

She then upper cut him, causing him to fall back.

"Now why the hell aren't you doing anything?" she asked, noticing that he wasn't really retaliating.

"Because if I were to do that, then you'd die too easily. Someone like you should have the privilege of dying a slow, painful death," he smiled maniacally.

"I see," she said, but didn't miss as he swiped his foot to throw her off balance. She jumped up, missing the attack but he slammed her into the wall with a bit more force. He looked into her fearless amethyst eyes. Blood started to trickle down the corner of her lip. Ayato bent down and licked her lips, and eventually kissed her… hard.

**Yes, this is SugarIsMyDrug and I'm here with a TG story. I really hope that readers would put aside their laziness and give me constructive criticism. Tell me what you like, or what you don't like. All of that is warranted. I really want to develop a deep relationship with my readers. Thank you. **


	2. Chapter 2

_Confidentiality is a virtue of loyal, and loyalty is a virtue of faithfulness. - _Edwin Louis Cole

Kanzaki tried to shove him away, but it was no use. She could feel him smirk against her lips.

"Mhmffmm," she tried to speak. The surrounding ghouls thought he was going to kill her. Instead, he threw her to the ground and knocked her out.

"I didn't think she would go down so easily," one of the observing ghouls said.

"Don't underestimate her," Ayato scowled. "Believe it or not, she could match up to one of those high ranked doves if she wanted to." It was so awkward for him to give a form of praise to a human, but no matter how he looked at it, she wasn't _just _a weak human.

Ayato left her there to freeze. He knew that wouldn't kill her, though, and she would be up and on her feet in the next five minutes.

~;~

"What the hell did you get yourself into last night?" Reina asked when Kanzaki got up.

"What are you talking about?" Kanzaki asked, throwing off the covers and setting her feet on the cold ground.

Reina stood beside her bed. Her purple hair was let down and she was dressed in her lab coat.

"I followed you yesterday only to see you on the ground," Reina informed.

"I see," Kanzaki slowly took that piece of information in.

"If anything was to happen to you, your father would feed me to the sharks!" she exclaimed. "Look at your lips! It looks like a gorilla kissed you."

"It's not like you care," Kanzaki replied.

"Well, you have a point," the older woman shrugged. "Anyway, you're not going to school today. You should stay home and rest."

"And you should try to get a life," Kanzaki rolled her eyes and took a sip of Reina's coffee.

"That's mine, you little thief," she shooed Kanzaki away.

Kanzaki gave her a small smile and walked to the bathroom. She took a good look at herself. Her lips weren't as bad as Reina made them out to be, but they were quite swollen.

"I need a raise," she sighed as she took care of her daily bodily activities.

When she got out of the bathroom, Reina was still there.

"Come to work with me instead," she tried to urge her.

"No," Kanzaki dead panned.

~;~

"So what do you think we should get for dinner?" Reina asked as she drove to work. Kanzaki lost the battle.

"Why ask and you can't even cook?" The younger girl asked.

"Okay, then what do you want as take out?" Reina asked.

"Anything," Kanzaki shrugged and then took out a book.

"You're always reading," she rolled her eyes.

"I'm reviewing this week's cases," Kanzaki corrected.

"Whatever," Reina rolled her eyes and allowed silence to envelope the two.

They drove into the 20th Ward's CCG parking lot and Kanzaki observed the building. It was a magnificent piece of structure. Agents walked in and out and chatted with each other casually. What surprised Kanzaki was the almost scant regard for the weather. They were dressed in their uniforms and seemingly had no qualms about freezing.

"Let's go, kiddo," Reina said. "And don't worry. We have a very good heater inside." And that quelled her suspicions.

"Why'd you bring me here anyway?" Kanzaki asked.

"Because I want to keep an eye on you," she proceeded to the entrance. "Besides, I act sane around you."

"I believe you mean less crazy," Kanzaki corrected, like she always did.

Reina chuckled. "I have to be in a meeting now, but I don't trust you alone. Therefore, I am leaving you with one of our most trusted investigators."

"I'm not a little girl anymore," Kanzaki snorted.

"Well then, you shouldn't have any problems with staying put and behaving," Reina smiled and skipped off.

"Are you Reina's niece?" a young man of average height and black hair asked. His grey eyes looked down at her.

"Unfortunately," Kanzaki grumbled, but he heard.

"I am Amon Koutaru," he held out his hand.

"I am Kanzaki Murasaki," she firmly gripped his hand. "Now how do you plan on watching me?"

"It's simple. I don't," he answered.

"So then I'm assuming you agreed with my aunt's request because you could personally gain something from it?" she questioned.

"You're not quite at the answer, but that was close," Amon motioned for her to begin walking alongside him.

"I heard from her that you're a private investigator. You deal with homicides and matters pertaining to that," he enlightened.

"Yes, I do," she answered.

"I also heard you're very skilled," he said.

"With a gun, yes," she replied.

Amon took the chance to side chop her and she quickly diverted his attack with her palms.

"You have quick reflexes," he pointed out.

"I just expect the unexpected a lot," she countered.

Amon straightened up and that was when he realized that Akira was close by. She walked up to the two but kept her gaze trained on Kanzaki.

"Akira-san, this is Kanzaki Murasaki. Her aunt told me to keep an eye on her while she's at the meeting," Amon informed the white haired woman.

"Hello, I am Akira Mado," she introduced herself.

Kanzaki nodded. "A question for you, Amon-san," she then said, "Isn't this district supposed to be relatively peaceful?"

"It's supposed to be," he said bitterly, "But that means we should pay more attention to it. The head quarters don't seem to think so."

"It's like the calm before the storm," Kanzaki mumbled.

"It's sort of like that. There was an attack at one of our prisons the other day," Akira put in her bit.

"The reason I asked is that the ghouls are making my job harder than it should be. I deal with humans, not ghouls," she said.

"Then you can talk to the higher ups about collaborating with us," he suggested.

"I'd rather not. What I would like you to do is increase your troops to guarantee the safety of the citizens. That would put me in a great position," she replied.

"Your request isn't impossible," he answered. "We could do that, but why are you so adamant on not joining us?"

"My reasons are my own," she responded. "Now may I sit somewhere? I have homework to catch up on."

"Sure," he gestured for her to sit in the waiting area.

~;~

"Who exactly is she?" Akira asked when she and Amon were alone.

"She's a private investigator for the police homicide division. She works closely with the Americans as well or so I've heard," he replied.

"Interesting," Akira slowly nodded. "Why did you suggest she join the CCG? You do remember you have to be trained at the Academy to become an investigator here, right?"

"I do. But from what I heard from Reina, it shouldn't be hard for her to come out on top," Amon replied. His interest in the eccentric girl was growing.

"She seems a bit off to me," Akira said.

"Don't they always," he responded. "Someone that young is being a detective. She must have seen it all in her few years."

"That's true, but we all have our horrors," she reminded.

"Some more than others," he added.

~;~

Kanzaki sat and flipped through more cases. It was good to go back to previous cases. It helped solve a lot of the current ones. Let's just say that most of mankind loved to recycle old tricks or mimic past homicides. One time, she had to deal with a wannabe Jack the Ripper. That case had her in circles. She still suffered from minor headaches because of it.

"Excuse me, Miss," one of the smartly dressed agents called on her attention, "This area is going to be used so I am here to relocate you, if you don't mind."

Of course she minded. Just when she was beginning to focus!

"It's alright," an unfamiliar voice spoke. "This won't take long." It was a white haired man who spoke. He didn't look like the type to be messed with. It almost sent shivers down her spine. The group of men and one woman located themselves to the other side of the room and broke into a murmur. Kanzaki could care less as she continued doing what she was supposed to be doing. You know that feeling when you're totally engrossed in something and that's when time chooses to fly by quickly? That is exactly what happened in Kanzaki's case. Before she knew it, the agents were dispersing and their firm stepping and serious talking disturbed her once more. Why were they having a meeting in a waiting room anyway? She then noticed that there was one person in the room. When she looked up, she noticed it was the white haired man.

"I noticed you came into the building with Murasaki-san," he spoke.

"And you are?" Kanzaki noticed that that might have come off as rude.

"Arima Kishou, my apologies," he walked closer to where she sat and held out a hand.

"Kanzaki Murasaki," she shook his hand in return. She now realized that this was the man who was the bane of her aunt's existence.

"So you're related to her," he realized.

"Yes," Kanzaki replied.

"You're also a detective," he didn't even ask. He more like knew.

"Yes," she dryly answered.

"Your ability to solve cases is impeccable. It's a surprise that you're better than most of the older ones in your division," he praised. "Tell me, why is it that you're still beneath the ones you're better than?"

"Your ability to gather information is satisfactory, but unnecessary if you're going to use it on me," Kanzaki plainly said. "Are you some kind of stalker? Because I know Reina would most likely talk to a fish than speak to you."

"I know your father," he then said. "He is quite skilled. It isn't a surprise that his offspring is skilled as well. The only flaw is that he put his talents to waste by getting involved with human affairs and joining an intelligence agency. What he should have done was train at the academy and fight against the most major problem in Japan. Ghouls."

Kanzaki silently listened.

"You have the option of joining us, and like him, you refuse," Arima finished.

"My reasons are my own," she coldly said, "Stop trying to convince me to abandon my own duties."

"I admire your steadfastness," that was all he said before exiting the waiting room. He didn't look disappointed and he didn't bat an eye ash under his glasses. This man was the real deal.

~;~

_9 Years Ago_

Kanzaki stepped in school with yet again, another dress. It had been a full year since she started to attend Tomoha Elementary School and each and every day, she would get weird looks from the students. Some would snicker and others would point. She didn't care, though, as long as they kept their distance. She successfully convinced herself that she didn't need any friends other than Touka and Ayato.

Speaking of whom, Touka and Ayato had promised to visit her after school. She was supposed to be visiting his house anyway. After school, she waited outside for her friends. While waiting, a group of boys and girls her age walked by her and then stopped.

"Hey it's the weird girl," one of the girls said.

"Why do you always wear dresses?" another questioned.

The boys snickered in the back.

"I bet she's one of the aliens my mom always talks about."

"Hey! Leave her alone!" Ayato shouted.

They scattered once he arrived on the scene. They were elementary students after all. Kanzaki looked up at Ayato. Her face was blank. What they said hadn't affected her.

"Touka couldn't make it," he said when they were gone.

"I see," she responded.

"Why did you just let them do that?" Ayato questioned.

"They're not worth talking to. So why not leave them to say whatever they want to?" Kanzaki shrugged.

"You should stand up for yourself once in a while," he advised.

Kanzaki didn't reply.

When they arrived at the Kirishimas' home, Kanzaki read after entertaining Touka and Ayato. Ayato sat with her and they read together.

"Hey guys," Arata called on the children. "I have to go somewhere. I'll be right back. Touka take care of things while I'm gone."

"Hai," she nodded.

And with that, Arata left. After a few hours, Kanzaki decided it was time for her to go. It was strange that her mother hadn't come to pick her up. Nevertheless, her house wasn't far and she would reach in no time.

"Are you sure you don't want us to walk you home?" Touka asked as she left.

"I'm very sure. Remember what your dad told you," Kanzaki answered without looking back.

Ayato and Touka watched as she disappeared down the road.

That night turned out to be quite tragic for Touka and Ayato. They realized that their father wasn't coming home. After realizing the fact that their father was dead, they were sold out by their neighbor.

A similar situation occurred for Kanzaki. As she got home, the doves had already taken her step mother out. That was the night that realizations occurred and hearts held the potential to draw closer.

~;~

Present Day

"I see you stayed put," Reina praised as she saw Kanzaki sitting in the waiting area.

"And I see you didn't get into any verbal fights today," Kanzaki said.

"So, did you make any friends?" she asked when they were walking to the car.

"I don't need friends," Kanzaki replied.

"Wow, that's so hurtful. I thought I was your friend," Reina pouted.

"No, you're my aunt," Kanzaki dead panned.

"You're so cold," she continued to pout.

"Colder than the weather?" Kanzaki questioned.

"Yes," Reina replied as she fixed her rear view mirror.

"Then good," Kanzaki praised herself. She needed to maintain a cold attitude.

As Reina looked through her mirror, she spotted Arima getting into his car. Kanzaki didn't miss a beat though. She knew where her aunt was looking. She didn't comment on it, though. She decided to leave things alone.

**Hey Guys! I am very happy that people actually started reading this. I didn't think it would get any reads at all. I am very grateful! **

**SchokoDelphin: Thanks for being the first reviewer! That means you get certain privileges. But that is if you choose to use them. You could… I don't know… tell me what you would like to see happen in this story. I don't know where I'm going with it as yet. Oh well!**

**Becka3490: Thanks for complimenting my fic. I hope you're not too bored with this chapter. **

**Keeper313: Yes! The ending was quite interesting to me as well. There will be more of that later. Hehehe~**

**Guest: Thank you for the compliments! I really appreciate it. As for the Mary-Sue warning, thanks as well. I will definitely keep that in mind. :D**


	3. Chapter 3

_The Ghost of Christmas Past_

Ayato had left Anteiku. He didn't get why he had to try to blend in with filthy humans. They were just a bunch of weaklings used to satisfy his appetite. You don't see humans trying to blend in with cows or goats. It was just unnatural. Just like what he was previously trying to do at Anteiku. His human loving sister could never get that. She could continue. As for him, he would start living like a true ghoul. True to his nature; and anyone who tries to stop him, he will cut them down. The cold winter weather didn't bother him as he walked. And you know what, for once, he wouldn't pretend it did.

"Ayato," Kanzaki said as she watched the male pass by. She was leaning against an alley way wall. Her foot was propped up to support her weight. He turned around to face her.

"Why are you leaving?" she asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I hate here. I hate humans. Why would I want to get comfortable around trash?" he asked harshly.

Kanzaki stood and listened to him bash her own kind. It wasn't as if she could do or even would do something. Everyone was entitled to their own opinion.

"I know you hate it here. I sensed that a long time ago. I also sense that you love your sister. With that in mind, what'll you do? Didn't you vow to protect her and vice versa?" Kanzaki pierced him with a cold gaze.

"Fuck that," he mumbled.

"Believe it or not, I understand where you're coming from," she walked near to him. "To live among people who aren't your own kind. I get that. I don't blame you for what you're going to do."

"And as always," he rolled his eyes, "You're right."

"That's just one of my many annoying qualities to you," she said. Her voice held no emotion likewise, her expression didn't either.

Ayato scoffed.

"Well, if you don't mind, can this piece of trash join you?" she then asked. This surprised Ayato. He stood there with an incredulous look on his face. He knew she was human, but she was different. It wasn't something he could put his finger on at the moment. He would figure it out sooner or later.

"Even if I said no, you'd still find a way to crawl down my spine. And nothing's more annoying than an annoying human." he grumbled. "Do whatever you want." Ayato knew that if Kanzaki wanted to come with him, she had a good reason for what she was about to do. He wasn't going to ask her what her reasons were. He was going to wait till she told him; even if it takes a whole lifetime.

"Do you have a dwelling place? Or do you plan on sleeping and roaming the streets like a dog?" she questioned as they walked in no particular direction. Also, she was very blunt in certain situations.

"I'll see what I can find," he dejectedly said.

"I own a cottage on the east side of Japan. It's in the woods, though," she informed, knowing he would jump at the chance of living in isolation.

"Lead the way," he said.

~;~

The two took two buses to the appointed destination. It was secluded, peaceful, and it looked like a place daring teenagers would go to do obscene things. When they got off the bus, Kanzaki led them down a worn pathway. It didn't look like anyone used it much as of now. The two walked through a path of snow covered trees until the trees got even thicker.

"Are you sure you remember the way?" he asked in an annoyed tone.

"I may not be as advanced as you ghouls, but I can hold my memories quite well for a human. You of all people should know that," she answered.

"Yeah, yeah," he couldn't deny that. He was a murder, but he wasn't a liar. He didn't need reason to.

In the distance, a wooden cottage came into view. It looked average, like a cottage authors would stay in to write their masterpieces. When they were on the front porch, Kanzaki bent down and took a key from under the mat.

"Subtle," Ayato sarcastically commented as she opened the door.

"There are no signs of life within miles of this place," she shrugged. "Therefore, no one will come looking for a rusty old key under the mat."

There was an old dusty smell in the house. It was expected as no one lived in it for a while.

"Make yourself at home," she unenthusiastically said. "It's good we got here before night fall."

Ayato grumbled something and continued to look around. There was a small, neat kitchen behind the living room. He wouldn't need the kitchen so it wasn't necessary for him to really go in. To the left of the living room, there was a small corridor and two rooms were on either side.

"I'll take the room closest to the bathroom," Kanzaki announced.

Ayato didn't respond. He opened the bathroom door. It was clean. Actually, despite the old smell, and dustiness, the place was neat and in order.

"There's a lake close to this house. It should be frozen now, though," she informed.

Ayato walked to his room. There was a normal sized bed in the middle of it.

"Here," she handed him a white sheet which he took and soon enough, he shut the door.

Kanzaki didn't mind at all. She knew that this would give her a chance to focus on cases better. The less human interaction, the better or, the less ghoul interaction, the better. Ayato wouldn't be a bother to her, and she knew that from the very start.

~;~

The next morning, Ayato wasn't in the cottage. He probably went out. Kanzaki decided to do some cleaning. She had a few Christmas decorations as well. Christmas was quite superficial to her, but that didn't mean she couldn't decorate. She started with the bedrooms and then made her way to the living room. It was noonday when the cottage could be considered dust free. She dusted and wiped and tore down. If only her father could see her now. He always made jokes about how much of a bad wife she would be, for she didn't know how to clean or cook or even wash. She should take a picture to send to him. Despite how young she was, she understood responsibility. She was 14 after all. When she finally sat down to eat, Ayato came in. He brushed some snow off of his jacket before he came in. Kanzaki didn't look up. While eating, she was reading and she loved her reading time. Ayato noticed that the place looked way better than it did. He also noticed the Christmas decorations.

"I thought you didn't like Christmas," he said.

"No one said I couldn't decorate," Kanzaki shrugged as she flipped a page. "You can join me if you want."

Ayato paused in his tracks for a moment. It was just like when they were children.

"No thanks," he declined after a minute's worth of thinking. She didn't look disappointed. She casually continued to read. On the other hand, he went to his room and shut the door.

This cycle continued until the day before Christmas. Ayato woke up and found the house empty. Kanzaki left a note saying she was at the lake and would be back soon. It was like her to leave a note. She was always thinking if the worst possible thing should occur.

Ayato decided not to go into the city, but go to the lake. She had said it was behind the cottage and it was so. He walked a little way and there it was. It wasn't too big. It was as if it was made for a small number of people. There on the ice, Kanzaki stood, most likely checking if it was safe.

She almost immediately spotted him. To him, most humans weren't that quick.

"You decided to join me?" she asked, not looking at him, but at the ice as she checked it.

"Nothing interesting to do," he shrugged.

"Well then, are you a fan of ice skating?" she questioned.

"No," he answered. He didn't get humans and their pastimes.

"Your loss," she shrugged and put on her skates. As soon as she had them on, she went ahead with skating. After a few minutes, she was trying to do flips. What she didn't know was that the ice was cracking. Her thoroughness wasn't enough to stop that from happening. As soon as she fell into the cold water, Ayato was on the frozen water. And he stood corrected, humans were weaklings. When he reached, Kanzaki had her hands on sturdy ice and began pulling herself out of the water. He held out his hand and surprisingly, she took it. Her hair tie was lost somewhere in the water which caused her black hair to spill all over her shoulders and down to her back.

"Don't say a word," she said, knowing he was going to start on the weakling crap. Ayato could slightly sense she was annoyed.

"And what are you going to do if I do?' he decided to add more heat to the fire. He got excited at the idea of soliciting some sort of emotion from her and what better emotion to get than anger.

She sighed, trying to let it all out and then began walking away. Ayato in turn was annoyed.

He reached out his hand but she grabbed it and flipped him over. He lay faced up and watched her. Her long black hair touched his face and her amethyst gaze pierced him. She then put her foot on his throat.

"You think you're so strong because you have your kagune and enhanced abilities," she started, "But some of us actually have to work towards the strength we want. Anyway, if I was able to do a simple flip on you, then you aren't strong enough to defeat those doves. Their strong and that means you have to be stronger. You can't rely on natural instinct only. That's the problem with most ghouls." She took her foot off his throat and offered him a hand. He took it and pulled her down with him. He then crawled on top of her.

"And that's the problem with you humans. You're so fucking gullible and physically weak and susceptible to almost everything life throws at you," he growled in her ear.

This didn't faze Kanzaki. She knew Ayato would be Ayato and he wouldn't do anything unwarranted to her.

"I'll train you in hand to hand combat," she said when they were out of that situation and walking back towards the cottage. She was slightly shivering and Ayato handed over his jacket. His reason was that he didn't need her dying from pneumonia just yet.

"I'll learn on my own," he declined.

"Let me put it this way," she stopped and faced him. This made him stop too. "I will train you whether or not you like it. I will make sure that the training doesn't feel like training. Yes, I can do that."

"And what makes you think I need training?" he questioned.

"Your reflexes aren't quick enough. You would have stopped me if you were fast enough," she countered. "If you don't want a repeat of today, you should listen for once."

Ayato found some sort of truth in her words and he agreed, but not without a couple of obscene words.

The eve of Christmas fell and Kanzaki decided to spend it in her room. She knew that Ayato wouldn't want to spend time with her. It wasn't like the old days. To her surprise, though, her door rattled and in walked Ayato. At the moment, she was blow drying her hair.

"I'm going out," he announced.

"And since when were you one to announce your departure?" she questioned.

"I noticed a few ghouls in this area. I don't need you dying yet, so I'm informing you," he casually said before leaving her room.

~;~

The next morning, it was Ayato who woke Kanzaki.

"Get up and let's get this over with," he said as he pulled the covers off her. It was a habit that followed him ever since their regular sleepovers in the past.

Kanzaki got up without a word. She rubbed her eyes and then headed to the bathroom.

"Good morning to you too," she said before closing the bathroom door.

When she got out, she was fully clothed in a long sleeved white top and shorts. It was a bit weird to wear shorts in cold weather, but Kanzaki was far from the normal bar. She then threw on a scarf and headed out. Ayato was waiting for her on the snow in front of the cottage. When she was facing him, she held up her fingerless black gloves to indicate she was about to hit him. He casually stood, waiting for her move. As expected, she threw a punch at his face. He blocked it successfully but didn't block the fast flying kick she threw at his side.

"Lesson number one: When blocking, you don't leave any openings. Your opponent will use it to their full advantage and even though you heal fast, you might not be able to recover quickly enough," she said and adopted her first position again.

The exchange of blows continued and so did the pointers. They moved and then stopped and the more she taught him, the more puzzled he became. Why exactly was she doing this?

When they ended, it was noon. Kanzaki's stomach rumbled.

"Why exactly are you doing this?" he asked skeptically. She sat on the front steps before answering.

"I don't want you dying before you keep your promise," she replied solemnly.

"Oh that?" he put a hand on his hip.

"Is that also the reason why you volunteered to come all the way out here?" he questioned.

"Partly," she vaguely answered.

"Are you that eager to die?" he questioned disdainfully.

"The prospect of dying doesn't scare me. The prospect of being eaten by you doesn't either. The thought of being killed by someone else, though, is quite the disappointment for me and believe it or not, I lead a dangerous life as a kid detective," she said.

On a clear night, the two had made a promise. They were still young, but Kanzaki had asked that Ayato be the one to kill her. Both their ghoul parents were killed so it was a time of grief. Ayato accepted, for his beliefs were rapidly changing at that point.

Up ahead, Kanzaki spotted a man and a woman. They turned their heads in Ayato and Kanzaki's direction. They walked right up to the cottage and Kanzaki could tell they weren't humans.

"A ghoul with a human?" the woman sickeningly questioned. She had a smirk as wide as the sun.

"Oh Riko, I think it is," the man said as he licked his lips.

"But Nishiki, they're so young. I think we should leave them alone," the woman sarcastically suggested.

Kanzaki remained seated and completely relaxed. Ayato was on guard at the side.

"You wouldn't mind if we kill her, don't you?" the man asked Ayato. "We can share her remains evenly."

In seconds, Ayato was up in the man's face and he beat him down with his bare hands.

"Ayato," Kanzaki called out, "It's okay. I'll deal with them. I won't allow you to ruthlessly go against your own kind."

Ayato surprisingly backed off.

"As for you two, I'm giving you a chance to walk away. Bloodshed isn't that necessary," Kanzaki took her gun out. She had it all along.

"Oh? And is that supposed to hurt us?" the man asked as he rushed at Kanzaki.

"Ayato, there's a katana hung up somewhere in the living room," she whispered to him and he surprisingly went for it.

Kanzaki shot the two in their chests, but that was used as a distraction. Using it to her full advantage, she decapitated them.

She then got the matches and burned their bodies in case it was possible for them to heal.

What a way to spend a Christmas!

Now that was Christmas Past. On to Christmas Present.


End file.
